This lesson focuses on the
"Ethnicities in the United States"
segment of the narrative, The Transatlantic Slave Trade. Combining history and math skills, the activity assists visual learners in understanding the variety in ethnic origins of enslaved Africans brought to the United States. Students will use the data in the narrative to create charts, either by hand or by using Excel or a similar database program. Students then will use the charts to compare ethnicities in the lowlands and tidewater regions. They also will hypothesize about cultural remnants that historical archaeology, cultural anthropology, and/or census records may be able to confirm.

This lesson plan is designed to be used with the overview component of the narrative, The Transatlantic Slave Trade, or with the overview segment of the narrative, The Domestic Slave Trade. It is most effective as an introductory lesson in the study of slavery in the Americas. Statistics about humans provide valuable historical information; but, as the numbers grow larger, they become more impersonal and difficult to comprehend. This lesson is designed to help students forge a compassionate link to the large numbers of people who were the victims of slavery as opposed to thinking of them simply in terms of numbers.

Used in conjunction with The Transatlantic Slave Trade, this lesson informs students about the historical role of religion in the slave trade. The Catholic expulsion of the Muslim Moors from the Iberian Peninsula, the Protestant Reformation, and the strife between indigenous African religions and Islam all had an impact on the history of slavery in Africa. Students will research fifteenth-nineteenth century religious thought (Catholic, Protestant, or Muslim) about moral questions regarding enslavement, trade in slaves, inherited slavery, and the rights of slaves. The lesson is targeted for high school students, grades nine-12.

Students should use this lesson plan with The Transatlantic Slave Trade, focusing on the segments "Capture and Enslavement," "Development of a Trade," and "Suppression of Slave Trade." Students will create a visual organizer in the form of a color coded triple-timeline to help them understand the chronological streams that flow through the essay; this activity should be conducted either in preparation with or in conjunction with reading the essay rather than as a follow-up. The organizer reinforces the written word for visual learners and assists them in identifying relationships between the three sections of the essay. This lesson is designed for middle school students, grades six-eight.

This lesson should be used in conjunction with The Transatlantic Slave Trade, in particular, the segment on "Suppression of the Slave Trade." Students will examine five sections of the U.S. Constitution to see what the Federal Government has said about slavery, past and present. Then, class members will research individuals and interest groups whose participation in the political process led to the slavery compromises during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Later in the school year, they will revisit the issue, looking at different individuals and interest groups who pressured Congress as the 'Civil War Amendments' were drafted and adopted in the final phase of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction.

The Transatlantic Slave Trade introduces locations that may not be familiar to students. Therefore, this activity works best as an introductory lesson to the essay or in conjunction with the essay to introduce or reinforce geographical knowledge and help visual learners to create an organizer to better understand the essay. Students will use paper, transparencies or computer programs in two ways. First, they will map African states during different time periods in the essay, along with the ethnic/religious groups in those states. Second, students will map natural resources in the European, American and African states, overlying the component routes of the Triangle and Brazilian trade between the three locations. The lesson plan is designed for middle school students, grades six-eight.

The enslavement and forcible transportation of men, women, and children from Africa spanned more than three centuries. The slave trade and its subsequent impact greatly changed the world. In this lesson, students will identify and map the phases of the slave trade, the locations of colonies and communities settled by African slaves, and the impact the individuals have had on the area.

This lesson can be used for students studying The Transatlantic Slave Trade. Students will use a variety of resources, including the narrative, The Transatlantic Slave Trade. Students will understand the continuum of history by studying the former slave ports including but not limited to, New Orleans, Charleston, and Richmond. They will study each port's history, and investigate its culture today.

After reading the narrative The Domestic Slave Trade, students will examine the differences between enslaved North Americans and the people brought to other countries, such as Brazil. Students will consider weather, culture, endemic diseases, and the care with which the Africans were treated in their analysis. Students will also hypothesize why the North American enslaved population increased, while other countries needed fresh supplies of Africans to keep up with labor demands.